


love is for the foolish

by PhoenixFalling



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, No Jon, SuperCorp, SuperCorp Sunday, based after season 5, both kara and lena have to redeem each other, i've taken some creative liberties, lena and nia friendship, lena luthor pov, rojascorp crumbs, slowburn, slowburn supercorp, yikes s5 was BAD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24472369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixFalling/pseuds/PhoenixFalling
Summary: Nia raised her eyebrows at Lena’s peculiar reaction. Her eyes lit up as she connected two nonexistent dots. Her jaw practically fell to the floor. “It’s Kara!?”“What?” Lena stiffened, avoiding Nia’s inquisitive stare. How did Nia figure out who she was talking about?“You’re in love with Kara!” She accused excitedly, aggressively grabbing Lena’s shoulders.OR:Taking place after 519 with slight modifications. Lena's dealing with her complicated feelings about Kara as they try to rebuild the relationship they once had. But they both have a long way to go until they're ready to be close friends again, but can Lena even handle a friendship with Kara anymore? What are the lengths Lena will go to prove that she's more than a Luthor?
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kelly Olsen, Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Lena Luthor & Kara Danvers, Querl Dox/Nia Nal
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	1. connecting the dots

Lena Luthor, on Earth Prime, had everything. She was adored in the public eye, a welcomed change to the poison the Luthor name carried in another life. Lena got her best friend back, more or less. She gained control over Luthor Corp and, in an attempt to turn over a new leaf, bought out Obsidian to aid an old friend.

She was trying to change. In Kara’s words, “The past is what shapes us, but it doesn’t determine who you are. You are your own hero, if you take responsibility for your actions.” Her hopeful blue eyes were burned into her memory. Lena was going to do her best not to disappoint Kara again. She couldn’t fail her again. Lena was determined to do the opposite; she was going to do everything in her power to protect Kara.

Four long years, Kara kept true self from Lena. She didn’t really know why Kara lied for so long, but she couldn’t keep dwelling on it. Both women knew it would be a long road of redemption, they both screwed up. Now, they had to focus on stopping Leviathan while making sure Lex didn’t destroy the world.

Now, as Kara’s gleeful giggles reach her ears from across the Catco office, she doesn’t regret for a moment shooting Lex. She would do it a million times over it meant Kara would be safe from him. And now he was alive, this time tricking the entire world. He even fooled her.

But she wasn’t going to live in fear of Lex anymore. Lena wasn’t going to help her brother hurt anyone else. determined to prove him wrong. Someone had to run Luthor Corp, since Lex hadn’t done anything productive with the company in months. Lillian was still an issue, being a board member and all.

It was hard for Lena to open up to those that hurt her, but she promised Andrea she would help. Lena was going against her instinct of letting Andrea live in the ruins of her mistakes, she was going to help.

“I truly owe you; I really do. With Obsidian Technology merging with Luthor Corp, it will spare my father the heartbreak. Please if there is anything I can do for you, just ask.” Andrea sat opposite of Lena, signing a stack of papers.

“You can help Kara with her questions on Leviathan. Especially everything you know about Gamemnae.” Lena forced a friendly smile despite her jaw clenching. Being nice to Andrea after stealing her mother’s legacy was going to be hard. Next to impossible.

“Of course! Kara will have complete access to Obsidian’s records, whatever she needs. I am so incredibly thankful for everything, Lena. You stopped me from crossing a line I could never return from and for saving my company.” Andrea reached for Lena’s hand. “And my father.” Lena yanked her hand away out of reflex. She wasn’t ready for that yet.

Andrea was unbothered, completely understanding Lena’s reluctance. “And I promise Obsidian will work closely with Luthor Corp to reinvent the VR lenses for good. Kelly Olsen proved that there are potential therapeutic applications.”

“Well, you are contractually obligated to work with Kelly and the Luthor Corp team so I would hope that’s what you’re going to use my money for,” Lena replied dryly. She could only handle Andrea in short spurts as it was. Now that she owns Obsidian, she is Andrea’s boss. And Kara’s too, for that matter. “No offense, but I trust Kelly a lot more than you. She will be the lead on the project.”

“Of course! I don’t know what encouraged you to do all of this for me, but I really am grateful Lena.” Andrea meant it too. This was the first time in years that Lena heard Andrea Rojas be genuinely grateful.

Lena couldn’t help but look over Andrea’s shoulder at Kara. The blonde reporter was busy typing away on her computer, focused on researching for her article to take down Lex and Leviathan.

“You looked at me like that once.” Andrea followed her gaze. The regret in her voice was unmistakable. “Things between us… We were too ambitious to make it work. I hope she makes you happy. I can tell she brings out a side of you that I’ve never seen.”

“There is nothing between me and Kara,” Lena snapped harshly. Andrea dealt with Lena’s temper before, this was nothing. She smiled, bemused.

Andrea blinked calmly, gaze flickering from Kara to Lena. “Maybe I’m wrong. Whatever you two are -or aren’t- she’s a special one. Don’t let that her get away.”

“I don’t plan on it.” Lena sighed, defeated. If anyone knew what it was like being involved with Lena, it would be Andrea. “Not again.”

“Again? Lena, do yourself a favor and fight to keep the people you love. I didn’t value the people in my life and look where it got me.” She had taken responsibility for her actions, especially when the VR lenses launch blew up and virtually ruined Obsidian. It has only been a few weeks since Leviathan’s attempt at trapping the masses in virtual reality, which Lena had unknowingly aided. The press rightfully blamed Andrea Rojas in ignoring key glitches, forcing out her product aware of fatal risks.

“Like how you fought for us when you stole the amulet and lied to me? You stole the last remaining thing I had related to my mother. You nearly killed Supergirl for your damn company!” Lena’s voice raised a few decibels. She didn’t want to attract unwanted attention so Lena forced herself to calm down.

Andrea shifted uncomfortably, bothered by Lena’s rightful accusation. “Do _not_ act like you’re all high and mighty because you’ve somehow convinced Supergirl to let you in on her escapades. You’ve burned people too. Neither of us are innocent.” Andrea was cold and harsh.

“Yes, I’ve made mistakes. And I’m _trying_ to do better. We both know that you’re only turning a new leaf because your company imploded.” Lena held her distrustful stare evenly. “Be honest, Andrea. If I hadn’t been there to stop you from killing Supergirl, would you have gone through it?”  
Silence. She couldn’t bear to look at Lena because they both knew the answer. Andrea would have done anything to protect her reputation.

“You’ve only cared about yourself. _You_ would feel guilty if your father found about what you’ve done. He is the only reason you even have remotely a conscious. If it wasn’t for him, you’d have taken my buyout and started a new life. You don’t want redemption; you just want a clear conscious.” Lena stood from behind her desk, hostility in her voice. “I will be keeping a close eye on you, don’t disappoint me again.”

Andrea feigned a polite smile, the distrust mutual. “I wouldn’t dare.” She stopped at the door to make one finale comment. “I’d be careful with who is aware of your allegiances, you’re treading a dangerous path.”  
Lena scoffed, watching her old friend leave. Contempt sat heavy in her stomach like expired sushi. She was trying to help Andrea and she had the audacity to tell her how to live her life? Once, a long time ago, they were inseparable. They were more than friends. Lena let Andrea in against her better judgement and she failed her. Now, Lena wasn’t going to let Andrea hut her again. This time, she was in control.

Kara cleared her throat, letting Lena know she was standing at the door. “It’s good to see you in here instead of Andrea,” she commented shyly.

Any other person, Lena would have demanded to leave. But Kara’s infectious attitude never failed to put a smile on her face. Damn, she _really_ missed her smile. The way her eyes would sparkle with she laughed. Lena realized Kara was hanging back, waiting to be invited in. 

“It’s only until I find a suitable replacement,” Lena replied professionally.

“Oh.” Kara’s disappointment was obvious.

“Unless you want to run Catco,” Lena offered quickly. She didn’t mean to offend Kara. Lena assumed that between trying to expose Lex as the murderous psychopath he is and Supergirl, Kara wouldn’t have the time.

She gently shut the door, ensuring they had full privacy. Or enough privacy as an office made out of glass walls could afford. “Oh- uh, no. But thank you! Between your brother being out there and the whole Leviathan situation I don’t have the time. Not on top of, yeah know.” Kara adjusted her glasses, tucking a strand of loose blond hair behind her ear.

“That’s kind of what I thought.” Lena shuffled the Obsidian paperwork and slid it in an envelope for her lawyers to confirm. “Trust me, you’re the first person I thought of. I know you’re passionate about Catco, It was wrong of me to let Andrea take over, I was just trying to hurt you. I’m going to fix that by find a proper replacement.”

Kara hung back, torn between standing or sitting. In another time, she would have made herself comfortable on the couch. Lena leaned against the desk, trying to relax herself. Their eyes crossed paths, igniting a memory that she couldn’t stop replaying.

\--

_Andrea stood just inches away, pressing the jagged dagger into her throat. She was conflicted, torn between two personal evils. Kill or ruin her father’s legacy. The temptation was there, fresh as the blood trickling down her neck. Kara’s words echoed in her head, “…feels like your skin is searing off your bones… nails running through your blood.”_

_Lena stood, unwavering. She would die before disappointing Kara again. She was trapped in VR doing her hero shtick, saving the world. But who was going to save Kara from herself? She was vulnerable, the only thing between Kara and a kryptonite dagger through the heart was Lena Luthor._

_Andrea pressed the dagger hard against her skin. “Move, Lena.”  
_

_“No.” Lena lifted her chin, determined to talk her down. She knew Andrea had the upper hand; all she could do was appeal to her humanity. If she had any left, that is. “I won’t let you hurt her. You’ll have to kill me first.”  
_

_“You don’t understand! They’ll destroy Obsidian! They’ll take away everything I’ve built,” Andrea sounded like she was trying to convince herself. She let the jagged blade pierce Lena’s neck, blood immediately gushing from the cut._

_“Then you’ll have Supergirl’s blood on your hand. And mine. Do I really mean so little to you? After everything?” Lena tried to appeal to their complicated history._

_“Please… I can’t lose my father,” Andrea whimpered. Her hand was trembling, the knife scraping against her skin as it neared her throat._

_“I’m not going to let you touch her. Supergirl is trying to fix your mistake and what are you going to do? Kill her? No.” She stiffened as something disturbingly dark fell upon Andrea’s face._

_“Why are you so determined to protect her? There are plenty of other superheroes out there to save the world,” Andrea muttered between her teeth._

_“So, you’re willing to trade one life for another? Like it’s nothing?” Lena could hardly breath, fearing that the knife would dig deeper in her throat. Every nerve screamed to do something, anything. To yank the kryptonite blade from Andrea’s hands and try to subdue her._

_“I’ll help keep your father save. We’ll figure out Obsidian together! I jump, you jump.” Lena recited words that once meant so much to them. Now, they meant as much as a whisper in a tornado._

_A whisper Andrea must have heard. “You promise?” The clouded storm of emotions started to clear as she gave in.  
_

_Lena nodded, “Yes.” They shared an exhale as Lena took the kryptonite, pulling her ex-girlfriend into an embrace. She had never been so terrified, and it wasn’t even for herself._

\--

“Are you okay?” Kara moved a little closer. Her arms were crossed, though Lena had a feeling she wanted to reach out.

“It’s nothing,” Lena lied. She could still feel the dagger pressed against her throat, the sensation that was hanging over her like a rain cloud for the past week. “Have you heard anything about Gamemnae? Andrea offered her assistance.” 

“No, she’s completely a wall. Any warehouses we had connected to Leviathan are gone. They’ve disappeared just as quickly as they surfaced,” Kara frowned. Lena knew her enough that she wasn’t just disappointed. She was scared. Rightfully so, the easy access to kryptonite was something to be feared of. “I’ll talk to Andrea and Eve to see what they know about Lex and Leviathan. It’s not much-“

“But it’s a start.” Lena finished. Memories resurfaced of when they brought Lex down the first time. If anything, their time a part only proved they were stronger together.

“Yeah.” Kara smiled softly as if she too was relieving a fond memory. Butterflies with wings made out of razors fluttered wildly in her stomach. “How’s Brainy?”  


Lena ignored the burning sensation and sighed, folding her hands in her lap. “Not great. I’ve managed to stabilize him but the sheer amount of radiation that his body absorbed isn’t fantastic.”

“Nia hasn’t left him, has she?” Kara sat on the arm of the couch. “I’ve only seen her when I’ve visited Brainy. She didn’t look well yesterday.”

Lena shook her head. Though there wasn’t anything Nia could do to help Brainy, she refused to leave his side.

“Is she getting _any_ sleep?” She asked, anxious for both of her friends’ health. “Is Nia even eating?”

Lena shared her concern and even had taken appropriate lengths to ensure Nia was taking care of herself. “After two days straight of refusing to eat or sleep, I told Nia she would be promptly removed from my lab if she didn’t take care of herself. I even brought down a cot and set it up next to Brainy.”

“That was kind of you.” Kara’s expressive shock felt like a shot to the heart. She must have noticed Lena’s hurt. “I didn’t mean it like that, Lena. I’m just worried for Nia… She really cares for Brainy. Last year, Nia lost her mother _and_ sister. I don’t know what would happen if anything happened to Brainy.”

“Trust me, I can relate.” Her tone was harsher than intended. “I’ll take care of her, okay? You’re welcome to come down to the lab and check in on her. She’s barely eating, and I’ve tried almost everything.”

“Alex and I are covering the streets tonight, but I’ll bring down some food and talk to Nia before we head out,” Kara offered. “We really miss having Dreamer out there with us.”

“I’ve tried telling her she could be of better use helping you, but she refuses to listen to me.” Lena feels like she was failing Kara by not getting Nia back into her suit and cleaning up National City. Crime didn’t stop because Lex and Leviathan had vanished.

“I know you’re trying to do your best.” Kara laced her fingers around Lena’s wrist. “I appreciate it, I really do. After everything you’re doing for Andrea and Nia just proves to me that the old Lena is back.”  
Lena’s gaze falls to where Kara was holding on to her. Something caught in her throat, making it impossible to breath. She brushed past Kara, desperately needing to get away as entire body felt like it was on fire. 

“Lena?” Kara called after her, but it was too late. Lena left Kara staring after her, heading straight for her lab. Only until the elevator doors shut, Lena was able to breath. She was completely clueless as to what had come over her. Her chest was tight as Lena gasped for air like a fish out of water. 

Her arm still tingled where Kara had touched her. Had a simple gesture stolen Lena’s breath away? This had never happened before, at least not to this degree. Sure, before all these Lena had a crush on Kara. Who didn’t? The girl was essentially the embodiment of a golden retriever with the added bonus of having the muscles of a goddess. Not to mention the heart of gold.

Lena shivered as she recalled Lex’s sheer anger, the very thing that sent her crawling back to Kara. She was beginning to fear that her feelings had evolved where her only companion were Lex and Lillian, two people not known for being affectionate. 

She kept telling herself that she simply missed Kara, that was all. Lena refused to believe that her crush had evolved to something greater. No matter, she would box it up with industrial duct tape and wait for the feelings to fade away.

Lena stepped into her lab to see Nia leaning against Brainy’s bed. Her head rested against his shoulder, the steady rise and fall of her back hinted that she had dozed off. A sense of remorse weighed down like concrete boots at the admittedly adorable sight. Lena never had someone like that, that stayed by her side even through the worst life had to offer. She never would, they always left her soon or later.

Deep down, Lena wanted to have the same effect on someone. She admired Nia’s unwavering dedication to Brainy. Was it worth it though? The distraction and heartbreak when things inevitably blow up - was that what she wanted?

Lena couldn’t deny the tiny part of her that yearned for a sense of normalcy. She had tried before, but she didn’t find what she was looking for with James or Jack. But the way she felt about Kara… Lena had _never_ felt that way about anyone else.

Nia jerked awake as if Lena had startled her. Her eyes were glazed over with sleep as she took in her surroundings.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Lena examined Brainy’s activity over the past twelve hours for any changes. There was a miniscule decrease in radiation, but not enough to speak about. She didn’t want to get Nia’s hopes up in case it turned out to be nothing.

Nia reluctantly stood, wincing as she stretched out her sore body. “No. It was… it was just a dream.”

“Isn’t that your whole thing? Dreams?” Lena asked starkly. “Are you sure it isn’t more?”

“There’s more to it than just dreaming,” Nia grumbled. She picked through the stash of food Lena had brought down for her. “But you are right, it was one of _those_ dreams.”

“So an important one then?” Lena asked casually. She didn’t let the relief show when Nia munched on a chocolate bar. It was a good sight to see her willingly eat.

Nia grew distant as she recalled her dream. “Truthfully I’ve had it since…” She stared at Brainy, a look of absolute misery fell on her face.

“Anything we should be worried about?” Lena wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to using ‘we’ in reference to Kara’s team of super-friends. She didn’t belong there, with the rest of them. Maybe someday she would earn her place, the least she could do was try to sort out Nia’s dream.

“That’s the thing! I don’t _know_. I can feel someone’s pain. They’re fatigued, even talking takes up too much energy. The sorrow and fear they feel… it’s suffocating. I’ve never had a dream like this before, I usually just see flashes of images. Like when I knew something was going to happen with Brainy, I saw he was in trouble. If I focus, I can sometimes pick out symbols or something that can help us figure out where and who if it the dream is vague. Once, we saved a woman simply by the university sweatshirt she was wearing!” Nia explained with an edge of cheerfulness.

Lena smiled, happy to see that she was perking up a little bit. “Start with what you feel first. It has to be overwhelming if that’s all you can process. Maybe if we sort through that first, than we can try what you hear.”

Nia hand went over her heart as she let the flood of emotions from the dream resurface. “I’ve felt this pain before, the loss of a loved one. It’s unbearable. I do feel this faint bit of hope, I think. They are angry, like scary angry. Like, sick to your stomach and reckless angry. I think they really want… revenge.” She frowned as she had a sick realization. “Oh god. I do not like how mad they are, they feel alone. Helpless.”

“How accurate are your dreams? Because that sort of sounds like someone is going to die,” Lena finally spoke. Her first thought was Brainy. She didn’t want to suggest Brainy though, Nia was finally perking up a little more.

“I mean, they aren’t always what we think. Dreams are rarely direct with symbolic meaning, but this dream seems pretty felt straight forward.” A haunted look darkened her face.

“What else do you have to go off of? Try thinking back through the pesky feelings and listen. Maybe try and absorb your surroundings?” Lena suggested, hoping she would find something leading her to a more desirable target like Lex.

Nia closed her eyes to focus, trying to push past emotional side of her dream to recall if she experienced anything else. “I think the faint beeping of a machine?” She tensed as she struggled to envision something.

“I think my face was wet- crying maybe. If I focus I can sort of see someone sleeping but it’s so dark, probably nighttime.” Nia exhaled, messaging her forehead as if she had a headache. “Brainy was always really good at helping me decipher dreams.”

She wanted to offer words of relief and promises that he would be okay, but Lena wasn’t about to lie. Nia deserved better than that. “I’m doing all I can for him.” It was all Lena could offer.

Unexpectedly, Nia threw her arms around Lena and trapped her in a hug. She stood stiff for a moment as Lena was not really a hug person. Well, there was one exception.

But as her shirt grew damp with tears, Lena caved and let her arms find a firm place at the base of her shoulders. Lena knew all too well the effects of what a simple hug can accomplish. “I’m not going to say everything will magically get better, I’m not Kara. I don’t want your hopes to get up in case something happens. But you do have to trust that I’ll do everything in my power to fix him.”

“I know you will, Lena.” Nia clung to her as if her life depended on it. “But he means so much to me, if I lose him…”

“You’ll lose part of yourself,” Lena guessed. She could relate more than she cared to admit. Lena really hoped the grieving person Nia dreamed of wasn’t herself.

“Yeah,” Nia sniffed and stepped back. She rubbed her nose, eyes red as tears still slipped down her face. “Sorry.” She croaked, staring at the patch of shirt that was soaked with salty tears.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Lena handed Nia a few napkins to clean herself up. “Do you want anything special for dinner? Kara’s stopping by sooner or later.”

“No…” She leaned against her cot, holding the pillow tightly against her chest. “I don’t feel like eating.”

Lena sat down on the edge of the bed, facing away from Nia. She despised feeling so helpless, but Lena was running every test she could think of against Brainy. “I get it. I may be not forcing you to eat anything, but I don’t hold a candle to how worried Kara is going to be if you don’t start eating more than a chocolate bar.”

“At least I’m getting a bit of sleep.” Nia muttered half-heartedly. She braved a glance at Brainy, turning away as the pain was unbearable.

“Kara misses working with you. Both Nia Nal and Dreamer.” It wasn’t Lena’s responsibility to push her back to working as a superhero, that had to be Nia’s decision alone. If she wasn’t ready, Nia risks a lot more than her own safety but civilians too.

“Trust me, I know. She made it very clear.” Nia shook her head, sinking down into the plush bed. She stared up at the tile ceiling. “I’ll be okay. And I’m feeling better every day but the thought of leaving him like this… I can’t yet.”

“Brainy would want you to take care of yourself first. Kara and Alex can handle protecting National City in the meantime.” Lena’s ringing phone caught her attention. She slid it out of her pocket, stiffening at the sight of the caller ID. She declined, only to see over a dozen messages pop up from Kara.

**Kara**

**-** _Lena?_

_-Are you okay??? Why did you run out like that?_

_-You’re worrying me :(_

_-Did I do something wrong?  
-Do I need to suit up? Is Brainy okay?_

_-Clearly you don’t wanna talk but you gotta let me know if somethings wrong!_

_-:(_

_\- If you don’t answer I’m coming to your lab. That’s where you are, right? You always go there if your upset_

_\- I’ll be there soon-with food of course! <3 _

“Is everything okay?” Nia sat up, staring anxiously at Lena’s phone. “You look kinda upset. You’re blushing.”

**Lena**

_-Everything is fine. See you soon._

“Kara’s coming.” Lena replied, dreading her incoming visit. She didn’t have an answer for why she fled the office because she didn’t even truly understand. It was only a matter of time before Kara arrived, so she had to figure out an answer.

“Is that a bad thing?” Nia must have picked up on her uncertain tone. “I thought you guys were friends again. You are back together, right?”

Something snagged in her chest, making it impossible for Lena to reply. Her face burned at Nia’s poorly worded question. God, the _implications_. She grasped hopelessly for words, but her mind went blank.

“Did you two have another fight again?” Nia scooted next to Lena. “You’ve helped me with my dream, let me help you. What did Kara do?”

Lena smiled faintly, appreciating how Nia didn’t blame her when suspecting they had a disagreement. She didn’t know Nia all too well, the young aspiring reporter had only recently joined Kara’s ‘super-friends’ about a year or so ago.

How _could_ she have been so blind? So foolish to what was so obvious? Kara’s friend group was identical to the people Supergirl allied herself with.

Suddenly, Lena was overcome with the urge to tell someone about the feelings bubbling in her chest. Her voice had a mind of its own as the words burst out of her, “How do you know you’re in love?”

Nia jolted, stunned at Lena’s unexpected question. She turned straight at Lena, simultaneously serious and extremely curious. Then, Nia softened. “I think it’s different for everyone. They accept you for who you are, flaws and all. They’re there for you during the darkest moments of your life, even if you don’t want them there. When they speak, you hang on to every word. It’s reaching out when you’ve messed up, even if it was, your fault. Regret when suddenly, they aren’t there to rely on anymore.” Her voice cracked, tears threatening to remerge. A distraught, weak smile crossed on her face, a faintest spark of light behind her eyes. “When you meet, you know immediately that they’re going to be important. You find each other by chance. Maybe you go get some coffee at a small little Italian shop down the street and find the owner threatening an alien.”

Lena was speechless. She hadn’t realized just how much Brainy meant to Nia. She knew they dated and that they both really cared about each other; even on conflicting sides. Two weeks after succumbing to radiation, Nia never strayed from his side. “Love is knowing that there isn’t anything they could do to push you away. I - you- lose them and now you realize that you should have cherished the time you had.”

She wanted to comfort Nia, but all she could do was sit in silence. Her mind was swirling, the room becoming blurred as the darkness started to devour her. “Not again…” Lena whispered, shutting her eyes to stop the room from spinning.

On the little nightstand next to Nia’s bed a phone vibrated, determined to be picked up. She reached over to retrieve it. “It’s Kara.” Lena’s attention to the floor, an inconsolable darkness falling over her. The dizzy spell vanished, but the feeling of dread and butterflies remained.

Nia raised her eyebrows at Lena’s peculiar reaction. Her eyes lit up as she connected two nonexistent dots. Her jaw practically fell to the floor. “It’s _Kara!?_ ”

“What?” Lena stiffened, avoiding Nia’s inquisitive stare. How did Nia figure out who she was talking about?

“You’re in love with Kara!” She accused excitedly, aggressively grabbing Lena’s shoulders.

“I think you’re delirious,” Lena withdrew from her grasp. “You’ve hardly eaten in two weeks.”

“And you’re deflecting,” Nia pointed out. She was breathless with exhilaration at the idea of her two friends together.

“Come on, Nia! Really? _Kara_?” She didn’t know why she was still trying to convince Nia otherwise. This wasn’t a fight she could win. “That’s absurd.” 

“Lena and Kara sitting in a tree-” she hummed, grinning playfully.

“I swear if you finish that dumb song!” Lena’s threat was empty.

“K-I-S-S-I-.” Nia said each letter with prominence, tempting Lena to act on her threat.

“If I confess will you knock it off?” She rolled her eyes at Nia’s childish behavior.

“So, you _do_ love Kara! Ha!” Nia won.

“I never said I lo- I liked Kara like that!” Lena tried to backtrack, but Nia completely ignored her. “It could be someone else.”

“That makes so much sense! You two have electrifying chemistry, that’s undeniable. I can see why you love Kara, she’s such a sweetheart and such a hero!” There was no use, Nia wasn’t going to let this go. Lena really hoped that Nia could keep a secret.

“I don’t love her,” Lena mumbled. The idea of Lena and Kara being romantically idea was clearly appealing to Nia. And it sort of sounded nice to Lena too.

“Are you going to tell her? Oh! You can surprise her, fill her office with flowers…” Nia suggested, her stress over Brainy gone for a brief moment.

“Did that once already. It’s going to be hard to top buying Catco.” Lena admitted, “Twice.” Only now did it occur to Lena that her gestures of friendship could be perceived as romantic. Had she really been in love with Kara for that long? “What did you mean about meeting a special person for the first time?”

“Wait, you _bought Catco for Kara_?” Nia was still processing the first part of Lena’s sentence. “ _Twice!?_ ”

“Yeah,” Lena replied shyly. There were other reasons for the extravagant purchase, but Kara was the core reason. Buying Obsidian has its tech resources but Catco, well, Catco has Kara.

She shook her head, still having a difficult time handling Lena’s partial confession. “Tell me, how did you meet? Then we can decipher whether not your feelings for Kara are platonic or not.”

The memory was fresh as if it had happened this morning. “I just moved to National City to reinvent L-Corp. She came to my office with her cousin to ask some questions about some plane or something that had exploded. Kara wasn’t a reporter yet; she was just accompanying her cousin.” Lena’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled seeing Kara for the very first time. “I don’t know, there was something different about her. I couldn’t look away from Kara, even then I had this gut feeling. Her cousin was politely asking if I had anything to do with it. But Kara… There wasn’t even a speck of suspicion.”

Nia was absolutely enthralled, as if her recounting of Lena’s first meeting was a harrowing tale. “Kara was always looking for the truth, but she trusted her heart. Even if the facts did point to me, she always believed me. We were one in the same- two people that wanted to make a name for ourselves.”

Lena found herself at a loss for words, an aching pain in her heart prevented her from doing speaking.

“There has got to be more!” Nia encouraged Lena, eyes wide like an excited kitten.

Lena steadied herself with a staggering breath. “And a jolt of emotions that I’ll never forget. I… I got lost in those intelligent sky-blue eyes, I couldn’t look away from her. Something I’ve never felt before. When she left, I needed to see more of her. Whether it was fate or coincidence, our paths crossed more than once. I think a part of me knew the potential between us and tried to push her away in the beginning. She kept coming back.”

“She wasn’t even remotely cautious or judgmental? I know Kara sees the good in people, but Lex was pretty relentless on killing Superman right? Plus, she was persistent without knowing how good you are, with only your name to judge you by.” Nia commented curiously. “I’m not saying it would be okay, but she actually had a valid reason because both Lex and Lillian have a thing against aliens.”

“That’s one way to put it. She could have used Lex’s murder attempts as an excuse to distrust and judge me. Both Lex and Lillian tried to kill Kara, why not the last Luthor alive? The biggest argument, before I knew her secret, was about kryptonite. I can understand why she felt betrayed now, she took it personal when I would ne-” Lena couldn’t finish her sentence. She _had_ used kryptonite on Kara. Once. “The only time she ever used the Luthor name against me was because I was working with Lex _against_ her on my own selfish project.”

“You were hurt, you need to stop blaming yourself. Anger and a broken heart can do that to a person.” Nia surprised Lena with how understanding she was about her past grievances with Kara. “I can’t tell you if you actually love her, but I can tell that you truly care about Kara.”

“I do, I really do,” Lena painfully whispered. “I don’t know what I would do without her. I lost myself when we weren’t friends, I never want to be like that again.”

“Then what are you going to do?” Nia asked with a kind and gentle tone.

“Do about what?” Kara was standing in the doorway, three pizzas stacked on one hand.

How much had Kara heard? Lena tried to summon an answer, but once more her mind proved useless. She looked desperately at Nia, begging for her to provide a cover.

“About Brainy.” It was unsettling how easy Nia lied to Kara’s face. “Lena’s using me as a soundboard to figure out how to help him. I don’t understand any of the sciency things she says but I’m hoping something comes from it.” Nia winked knowingly at Lena. 

Relief rained over Lena as Kara completely believed Nia’s story. After all, she had no reason to believe they were lying anyways, it wasn’t actually a bad idea. She’d have to try it. 

“Any luck?” Kara set down the pizza boxes on the counter away from Lena’s experiments. She noticed Nia’s attitude change but didn’t question it.

“Unfortunately, not.” Lena wrung her hands together, trying to distract herself from the sudden stimulation to her heart. Surely Kara could hear it pounding with her super-hearing? The pulsating was so loud that Lena swore even Nia can hear her heartbeat.

Kara’s face fell. “I know you’re doing all you can.” Lena tensed, waiting for a ‘but’. Instead, she stood over Brainy, eyes glazed with sadness. “Oh Rao. I’m so sorry Nia. He will get better, won’t he?” She asked hopefully.

Lena couldn’t handle Kara’s passionate eyes, though she knew Kara meant well she couldn’t bring herself to dash her hopes. “He doesn’t have the same biology as a human. It’s something I’ve never dealt with before.”

“It’s okay, if there’s one thing I know about you is that you rise above a challenge rather than let it deter you.” Kara was still hopeful, somehow, she still had faith for Lena to come through.

The compliment spurred heat to rise to her face. Lena fidgeted uncomfortably, anxious that Kara would catch on.

Nia noticed and drew Kara’s attention away from Lena. “Any luck on finding anything on Lex?” 

She groaned, leaning against the frame of the cot. “No! But it’s only a matter of time before he resurfaces. Lex can’t hide on this earth, he has to be considerably more careful now that he’s good in the public eye.”  


“Not for long! You guys will stop them, what can be more powerful than a Kryptonian and a Luthor? Nothing!” Nia playfully jabbed at Lena.

She shot Nia a desperate look, begging her to shut it before Kara caught on. Nia shrugged, “Yes, I’m beyond stressed for Brainy. If he was in anyone else’s care, then I would be certain he would be lost. But Lena’s impeccably brilliant, I have no doubt she’ll figure out a way to save him.”  


Rarely did people sing Lena’s praises, in both worlds she was constantly outshined by Lex. It was admittedly nice to have someone acknowledge her intelligence. “I’ll try not to let you down,” Lena was already under intense pressure trying to redeem herself on top of curing Brainy.

“You’re doing all you can, that’s what matters,” Kara reassured her. She wedged herself between Nia and Lena. “We’re a family,” Lena looked away. “Yes, _all_ of us.” She leaned against Lena’s shoulder. “All of us are going to be there through the worst of what life has to offer so we can be there for the best.”

Lena held her tongue, fighting against herself to make a smart comment how Kara left her to suffer alone against the tremendous weight of her secret.

“Because I failed someone before, I never want to do it again. She deserves a family that loves her for who she is.” Kara was staring right at Lena, though her words were meant for both Lena and Nia.

Kara’s ringtone beeped, letting her know she got a text. “Oh shoot! It’s Alex, there’s been a robbery at a museum. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later! Bye!”

Tension alleviated off of Lena as Kara dashed off without another word. She sat in a pool of her own misery, tenderly rubbing her shoulder.

“You are _so_ whipped!” Nia giggled, resorting back to her old self even if for a second.

“Oh please! it’s just a relentless crush that won’t go away.” Lena was hoping that if she convinced herself what she was feeling was a minuscule crush than it would go away. At this point, it was like trying to put out a forest fire with a blanket instead of quenching a single candle.

“Lena, your face is red. Like _really_ red.” Nia eyed the pizza from afar. “Why don’t you splash some cold water on your face? Cool off a bit.”

“It’s that bad?” Lena hurried to the mirror, finding her face was indeed a bright blush red. She rinsed off her face in icy water, finding instant comfort when fresh cold met her warm skin. 

“It’s better now,” Nia mumbled through a mouth full of pizza. “Call it what you want, but you feel something for Kara.”

“I know,” Lena admitted with heavy reluctance. “I need to figure out how to work with Kara without turning yet if she so much as brushes against me.”

“Here’s a crazy idea, maybe tell her?” She had already finished one slice and was about to eat another. One positive came out of all of this - Nia’s appetite returned.

“That’s a fantastic idea, why don’t I call her up?” Lena grumbled sarcastically. “Hey, Kara! Remember when I trapped you at the fortress with kryptonite? When I faked being your friend for a bit? It was just because I liked you!”

“Okay, I get it. You and Kara had a rough patch.” Nia wasn’t sure how to counter Lena’s example of their difficult history.  


“ _Rough_? She called me a villain, and frankly I deserved it.” Lena pointed out, shame swirling in her gut.

“Well what then? That’s it? You are just going to give up because you had a fight? Brainy actively worked with Lex against us yet he chose to protect us. You built Kara’s kryptonite suit. You have so much more to offer, not just as a super-friend. Why won’t you open yourself up to more?” Nia wasn’t condescending, she understood Lena’s past transgressions and that she truly did regret her actions.

“Love isn’t in the cards for me. It’s _never_ worked out. Either they stab me in the back like Andrea, or I hurt them. The one person I thought would stay just let me move to National City without so much of a fight.” Lena grew remorseful as she thought about Jack, the ex-boyfriend she killed to save Supergirl. “I’m not worth it. Kara deserves someone just as special as her, not a Luthor that lost her way.”  


Nia cleaned the grease off her hands, shaking her head. “I don’t know you all that well, but from how Kara talks about you… I don’t think it’s ridiculous to consider that she may feel the same way. You just have to be brave enough to embrace your feelings.”  


“Have you considered I don’t _want_ to embrace them? I just want them gone.” Lena leaned her head against the wall. “I don’t want to ever hurt like I did when I found out Kara lied to me. Opening up to these inconvenient desires is begging to be hurt again.”

“Have you considered the positive that could come from opening up? Where’s the fun in living if you’re afraid to connect with people? Finding your special someone… Well, there’s nothing like it.” Nia smiled fondly as she stared at Brainy. “And, there’s the physical stuff. That’s always an added _bonus_ of…”

Lena’s face immediately turned a bright red. “Nia!”

“Oh, grow up Lena, you’re an adult. Kara’s an adult. You’re telling me you haven’t thought about what it would be like to sleep with her?” While Nia’s tone was teasing, she wasn’t kidding.

“I- uh- well,” Lena was rightfully flustered as tried to answer. “If I say yes will you drop it?”

“Quite the opposite! I’m going to help you get the girl,” Nia wasn’t going to take a no for an answer.

“But,” Lena tried to speak but Nia interrupted her again.

“If you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want her, then I’ll drop it. I’ll never mention your crush ever again.” Nia stood so that she was directly in front of Lena, giving her no other place to look.

Lena tried to meet her, but it was like staring into the sun. She wanted too but when their eyes crossed, Lena couldn’t hold it for more than a few seconds. Lena hung her head in defeat.

“Ha! There’s hope for you yet, Lena Luthor!” Nia cheered triumphantly.

What had Lena gotten herself into?


	2. What's the Point of Dreaming?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia is crashing at Lena's place when she has a dream that unsettles Lena to her core. Nia's dream-predicting powers offer a bleak future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2020 is not going great for anyone, is it? Please stay safe and wear a mask, cherish your loved ones.

The rest of the day was relatively peaceful in comparison to how Lena’s days usually were. Nothing insane happened, no one tried to kill her. She spent the day with Nia chattering listlessly about anything that came to mind. Though most of what Nia said went over her head, Lena could relate to her complaints of douche coworkers and family drama.

On the plus side, Lena did discover that Brainy’s brainwaves were incredibly active. She had yet disclosed that information to Nia because Lena wasn’t sure what that meant. Lena was hoping she could use the fact that Brainy was a tecno-organic alien to breach his consciousness.

Nia kept nodding off throughout the day. Granted, the crappy cot she had been sleeping on for the past two weeks were garbage. From what Lena understood, Nia was an inconstant sleeper in general due to her abilities. After refusing to back to her own apartment, Lena ended up inviting Nia to stay in her spare bedroom. To her surprise, Nia accepted.

Lena was relieved for Nia’s sake that she got some fresh air outside of the stale lab. Kara would be proud to hear Lena convinced Nia to step away from Brainy’s side for a night. 

Plus, if there were any abrupt changes in his status, they would be a couple blocks closer to Lena’s lab.

Growing up, Lena was never one for sleepovers. She didn’t really have a lot of friends as a child, mostly because Lillian chased them off. Sitting on the edge of the guest bed with a bottle of scotch in hand. Nia made herself at home, hugging a plush blanket draped around her shoulders, cradling a cup of steaming hot chocolate.

This wasn’t how she expected her day to go, but it felt strangely freeing to talk about her feelings for Kara without judgement. And, Nia _did_ make pleasant company as Lena found her enthusiastic youthful energy refreshing.

Lena didn’t converse often with many other people other than those she was forced to in her particular line of work and her select group of friends. Lena didn’t count the _friendly_ conversation that occurred in wrangling a bunch of stingy board members.

Nia was glued to her phone, solemnly swiping through old photos of her and Brainy. Lena itched to do more for her and their alien friend, the very least she could do is let Nia have a free space untied to any memory of them together. Lena _was_ curious on how the two met, Brainy never stopped rambling about his affection for Nia long enough for her to ask any questions. Before the inhibitor incident, that was.

A particular group picture caught her attention from the corner of her eye. The photo was taken that fateful night; mere hours after Lena killed Lex. As dead as her damn brother could ever get.

The Lena staring back at her was still in shock. Past Lena was sitting on the floor, arm wrapped around Kara’s shoulder as she played coy. Lena recalled feeling numb to the world, so heartbroken to the point where she was one single crack away from shattering. Kara was bright and blissful, completely oblivious to Lena’s pain. Her mouth ajar in a mid-cheer as they were winning at whatever futile board game they were playing at the time.

In the far background, Kelly and Alex were sharing the couch. Alex was focused on Kara instead of her own girlfriend. The glint of suspicion sat awkwardly with Lena, why was Alex watching them like that? What did she know?

That game night was nearly a year ago, it didn’t matter now. Lena needed to focus on distracting Nia. She dug in the abyss of her mind for common talking points but came up empty handed.

Nia was staring directly at the focal point of the photo. Brainy’s chin resting on her shoulder, hands low around her waist.

Remorse clawed at her chest as memories of that night resurfaced.

Lena was hyper aware of everything that night, down to every single crunch of a potato chip. Maybe it had been her imagination, but Kara had seemed on edge. Alex had pulled her aside more than once throughout the night and Lena always had a sneaking suspicion it was about her.

As game night came to a close, Lena noticed Kara catch Alex’s eye. All she did was give a stern shake of her head. Kara slouched in disappointment but said nothing. 

A message banner popped up, breaking her out of the strong recollection. Lena couldn’t help but read the alerts.

**Kara**

_-Nia? I went back to the lab and you weren’t there._

_-Is everything okay?_

_-Have you heard from Lena? She won’t reply to me._

Lena forced herself to look away as Nia quickly responded. She wanted to net the growing monarch of butterflies cluttering her stomach and release them. Lena knew there was nothing she could do to free herself of these crushing feelings. She had forgotten what it was like to go a day without feeling nauseous just by catching a glimpse of Kara’s tantalizing smile. 

“Kara’s worried about you,” Nia spoke with a slight hint of gentle teasing. “Maybe you should tell her you’re okay?”

Lena shook her head. “You can tell her we’re together. But if you tell her where we are, there’s a pretty strong chance she’ll come by.”

“Fine, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she scoured the city for you,” Nia shrugged.

The room settled into an uncomfortable quiet. Nia sipped away at her hot chocolate and Lena settled into the bottle of alcohol to sooth pain smarting in her heart.

Lena couldn’t stand the silence anymore, she needed a stronger distraction. “How do you like working at Catco?”

Nia’s eyes remained on her phone. “I love it! I love being able to do some good and provide honest truth to topics that need it now more than ever. I’m really glad Andrea is gone.”

“I am really sorry about that.” Only now did Lena realize how selfish and extreme it was of her to sell Catco to Andrea. Andrea’s only agenda was to prop up Obsidian, not giving a single damn about the good Catco could do with its powerful influence.”

Nia glanced at her, curious. “Sorry for what?”

Lena covered her face with a pillow. “I kind of sold Catco to Andrea to spite Kara.” Her stomach flipped over with deep shame. “I didn’t know what havoc she would bring, I just wanted Kara to feel as miserable as I did.”

Nia burst out giggling in shock, “Lena, honey, as anyone told you how gay that is?”

“What?” Lena peaked over the pillow to see Nia shaking her head with a shit-eating grin splattered on her face.

“You bought Catco not once, but _twice_. Please enlighten me just why you sold Catco? You wanted Kara to hurt, why?”

“Uh…” Lena buried her face again. “Because I wanted to get back at her for lying to me. Catco was the best way to hurt her…” Her voice muffled through the plush pillow.

“See! Gay! That’s a pretty extreme reaction to someone hurting you. Especially someone like Kara, I can’t imagine how awful she felt lying to you. What made you think of Andrea?” Nia wasn’t angry by Lena’s impulsive decision, rather amused.

“Andrea has a certain way of getting under people’s skin,” Lena groaned. “Clearly it didn’t bother Kara too much considering how long she fucking lied to me for.”

“You’ve got to talk to Kara on that part, sorry.” Nia tugged the pillow away from Lena. “You’re going to have to elaborate a bit more Andrea! How did you know her? She is a real piece of work! Resorting to a self-centered tech obsessed businesswoman was cruel and yet, there’s more to the story, isn’t there?”

Lena drew her legs to her chest, hugging them closely. “You’re one of the three people that will know this. _Not even Kara knows this_ ,” she warned Nia. There was nothing she could do; Lena was going to tell her one of her biggest secrets.

Her eyes lit up and Nia eagerly leaned closer, hungry for Lena’s next words.

Lena covered her face with her hands. “Once, a long time ago, Andrea and I… We may have been a thing.”

All Nia could do was blink in shock. She sat completely still, shocked to the very core at Lena’s confession. Nia dropped her phone and focused entirely on Lena, “Elaborate. _Now._ ”

Lena laughed nervously, leaning against the stiff headboard. “We met in boarding school and were instant friends. We both had rich families, though she came from a loving family. I came from, well, not the best environment. There isn’t much to tell really, she just _understood me._ We simply connected. I spent most of the summer at her house to avoid the endless Luthor drama.”

She paused to gather herself. Even after everything that had happened between Lena and Andrea, she still looked back on that one particular night with fondness. Lena took a prolonged swing of scotch to calm her nerves. “I was visiting Andrea after a rough week from college. For two young adults with an endless supply of cash, you’d think our favorite pastime would be something trivial like shopping or nonstop vacationing. Instead, we stayed local at her mansion. We’d sneak out in the early hours of the morning and steal a few horses. I had fallen for Andrea and our distance only made my feelings more prominent. We stopped to let the horses graze, admiring the flickering star. It was just us alone except for the occasional horse huff. She looked at me and the next thing I knew… We- we kissed. Andrea and I dated for a while after that, until she fucking stabbed a knife straight through my back and into my heart.”

Nia immediately launched into another million questions. “What did she do? How long were you together? Does Kara know you dated Andrea? And you aren’t out publicly yet? I mean, I get understand. People are horribly judgmental.” She stopped only to take a breath. “How did you know you were gay? When did you figure out you liked girls?”

Lena felt weirdly free as she opened up to Nia. Her sexuality was something she wasn’t ashamed of, not in the slightest. It was the relationships themselves that she regretted. Of course, Nia would understand. Lena was all the more grateful for the support. “Funny enough, you’re the only one that knows that I haven’t dated. So no, Kara doesn’t know. Just you, Sam Arias and Andrea.”

“Sam Arias… Why does that name sound familiar? I can’t place it,” Nia tapped her forehead in thought.

“Sam was in National City for a spell a couple years ago. Alex grew really close with her while she ran L-Corp for me.” Lena didn’t want to delve into the Reign disaster, there were too many harsh memories associated with that whole situation.

“And you dated her too?” Nia asked like a persistent child.

“Yeah, just for a bit though. We went on a few dates but between her trying to climb the corporate ladder and caring for her young daughter, it wasn’t the right time for us,” Lena explained, reminiscing in the fond memories of playing with a toddler Ruby. “We don’t talk as much now, considering everything that has been going on. I really do need to see Sam soon. I miss her.”

“Where is she? We can make a day out if it! We both need a break from National City,” Nia suggested eagerly.

“She’s in Metropolis. I don’t see why not…” Lena murmured thoughtfully. “I’ll text her and maybe we can visit soon. Damn, I bet Ruby has grown! I think you’ll like Sam, she’s so smart and would do literally anything for those she loved.”

“Have you considered, maybe, I don’t know… Maybe _not_ falling for every single one of your best friends?” Nia’s attention flickered to Lena’s phone that was ringing excessively.

“It’s not like I planned to fall for Kara! It’s just… you know how she is,” Lena knew what she felt was different than how she felt about Andrea or Sam. Her situation with Kara was drastically different than any of her exes. “I can’t get her out of my head,” Lena admitted. “It doesn’t help that her face is plastered all over the news either.” 

“Seems like someone is think about you too,” Nia added as the call died away, only to start ringing again. 

It was. Lena hit the decline button and tossed her phone out of reach.

Nia’s phone pinged seconds later. She rolled her eyes as she examined her messages. 

“Kara, I presume?” Lena asked dryly. Her mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario, wondering if Kara had gotten herself in trouble. Lena hung her head, regretting her impulsive declining of the call.

Nia handed Lena her phone. “I’m not going to tell you to call her, but Kara’s clearly concerned about you. She doesn’t even ask how I’m doing!”

Lena reluctantly skimmed over the message exchange between Kara and Nia.

**Nia**

_-we r fine_

**Kara**

_-We?_

**Nia**

_-yeah im hanging out with lena_

**Kara**

_-Can you ask what’s wrong? She’s been acting weird today…_

**Nia**

_-??? Ask her urself_

**Kara**

_-How? She isn’t exactly answering me!_

_-I literally just called her twice. TELL HER TO ANSWER ME_

**Nia**

_-shit I mean ur not wrong_

_-i can tell her ur worried but she seems fine_

**Kara**

_-Worried is an understatement! How am I not supposed to worry when you two disappear without another word? Especially since Lex and Lilian are out there, dangerous as ever!!_

Lena stared at Kara’s last text, caving into the smile that tempted her lips. Why was Kara so concerned for her safety? Did something happen?

A new message appeared.

**Kara**

_-I guess I’ll just leave you two alone then…_

Three pulsating dots that suggested that she wanted to say more. Then they disappeared.

“Can you please answer your girlfriend before she takes it on herself to fly around the city until she finds you?” Nia stifled a yawn.   
Lena tossed a throw pillow at her as a blush flared on her cheeks. “I don’t think she’s really going to such extreme lengths. Besides, she just texted saying she’d stop bothering us.”

“If you keep acting weird, she’s going to catch on. I take it you don’t know yet what you’re going to do with these feelings?” Nia sipped at the steaming beverage.

“I can’t just off my feelings, as much as I want too. I know I need to shape up and get my emotions under control, but Kara isn’t exactly the most observant person out there. I do have _some_ time,” Lena sighed. “Besides, dating is really an option, is it? Neither of us are in a good spot for dating, let alone each other,” Lena pointed out. Her body was wired, albeit rather unhealthily, to live off of four hours of sleep.

Nia, however, was clearly exhausted. A draining yawn overcame the young woman as she attempted to hide it with a hand.

“What about you and Brainy? Since you’re so curious about my disaster of a love life, what happened with you two?” Lena asked gently, not wanting to pry if Nia wasn’t ready.

Nia frowned as a hearty sigh escaped her. “He took his inhibitors off and shut me out. I tried to be there for him, but he wouldn’t let me in and decided to work with Lex, for good reason I assume. I really do love him…” She trailed off, staring hopelessly at her hands. “Is there any hope for Brainy to recover?”

“Yes,” Lena regretted the words the second they left her mouth. She wasn’t going to let Brainy down without a fight. “There are other more dangerous outlets I’ve considered. I will run some diagnostics and simulations tomorrow. I’m going to be blunt with you, Nia, it’s extremely risky. I have considered utilizing Obsidian to breach his brainwaves and see if there’s a way to jump start him that way. It can easily backfire and completely shut down his brain if not acutely wired.”

“I don’t care how dangerous it is, he clearly isn’t going to simply wake up on his own. Something is seriously wrong with him, isn’t there?” Nia held a clenched hand over her heart.

Lena nodded. “Then with your approval, I’ll get Andrea and Kelly to help. No one knows Obsidian like they do.”

“Kara may know a thing or two, she told me once Brainy somehow entered her subconscious when she was really hurt and helped pull her out.” Nia’s reply was slightly delayed. She was fighting to keep her eyelids open.

“I’ll consider it, if you go to bed. You haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks, why don’t you get comfortable? I’ll write an email to Andrea and Kelly, outlining my potential plans.” Lena didn’t wait for a response and stood up. She grabbed the scotch, frankly not sure if Nia was old enough to even drink.

“Thank you, Lena. You didn’t have to let me stay here; I could have hunkered down on Kelly’s couch. At least I won’t permanently misalign my back on your super expensive queen guest bed.” Nia snuggled deep into the comforter, drawing the blankets over her shoulders.

“See you in the morning,” Lena called over her shoulder. She turned off the lights, leaving the apartment almost completely dark. The only light source was from sleepless city surrounding the building. Lena pulled out her phone, startled to see it’s well past 2am. She made a mental note to order a healthy breakfast for Nia in the morning. Lena was acutely away that Nia’s diet within the past few weeks hadn’t been the best.

She typed a rapid email to Andrea and Kelly, requesting their knowledge on linking Obsidian to a form of hyper-intelligent form of technology and a basic plan of intent. 

Lena lazily ditches the scotch on the counter to clean up later. She grabbed an empty cup, eager for the cool water to wash away the tinge of alcohol from her tongue. Her skin pricks as if she’s being watched, a nagging voice in the back of her head beckoned her to look up. Lena reaches for one of many hidden guns, having learned over years of assassination attempts to trust her instincts.

She lifts her head, half-expected to see an armed drone about to fire dozens of bullets through the penthouse. Instead she catches sight of a familiar dusky red cape levitating a great distance from her balcony. Supergirl was gone in a flash. The early morning could trick her brain into a hallucination, but Lena was all too familiar with the caped heroine for that to be a possibility.

There was no doubt about it, Kara was there. In the pale light, Lena caught sight of something fluttering down from the sky, landing on her balcony. Lena abandoned her water and went over to examine what it was.

Centered in the middle of the cement floor was a small sliver of paper. Lena picked it up, wincing in the dim light to see. Scribbled in Kara’s perfect handwriting a single sentence.

_Sorry, I can’t shake this feeling that something’s going to go wrong. Glad you’re okay._

_-K_

Lena rested her elbows against the railing, searching the gap of empty sky between the skyscrapers. Nothing.

“You can’t stay away, can you Danvers?” Lena spoke into the vast nothingness. Maybe she was telling the truth. Kara wasn’t going to let Lena push her away this time, if only she had stuck to this promise when Lena needed her most.

Kara cared. Shouldn’t she be ecstatic? Why did Lena feel dread pile on top of her emotions until all she could feel was utter misery? She slid the paper in her pocket, finally ready to go to bed.

Lena locked the balcony door behind her and made her way towards her bedroom. She stopped dead in her tracks as a scream came from the guest bedroom. Alarmed, Lena barged through the door, heart in her throat.

Nia was sitting upright, pupils dilated. Her body wracked in desperate gasps, hugging the comforter to her chest.

“Nia? What’s wrong?” Lena rushed to her side. 

Raw and unadulterated terror haunted Nia’s face, such a look she had never seen before. Lena was unsettled.

Nia shook herself out of the trance, a blanket of confusion taking over her features. Her mouth was hung ajar, breathless as Nia tried to process the vision.

“Just take a deep breath, okay?” Lena sat down, anxious at this unknown dream of hers. The future wasn’t looking too bright if Nia’s dream powers were even remotely accurate.

“I- I’ve never had a dream like that before,” Nia whimpered. “Most of my dreams are usually dark and foreboding some sort of danger, but _nothing_ like one,” she was barely audible. “I haven’t been this shaken since I couldn’t prevent my mom from dying.”

“It’s okay, take your time,” she reassured Nia. Lena wanted to know what was going on in her head, her eyes revealing nothing but a clouded darkness.

“My entire body felt like it is blazing from the inside out. Every breath felt like I was breathing in knives. I just wanted to curl up and die, the pain was too overwhelming.” She sniffled; eyes glistened with tears. “It was horrible, I just wanted everything to be over.”

“It’s over now, you’re awake and safe,” Lena shuffled her hands anxiously. She was unsure what to do, all she could do was listen.

“Lena, that wasn’t all,” Nia’s voice was haunted and disturbed.

The pit in Lena’s stomach tripled in size, weighing her down like a stomach full of cement. 

“Just before I woke up, I felt a strange surge of unwavering determination,” Nia’s face fell. “And a gunshot. That’s when I woke up.”

Lena went numb. This wasn’t some ominous dream with a thousand ways to interpret. Someone one was going to die.

“Fuck,” Lena finally managed to conjure the courage to speak.

“Oh, fuck indeed,” Nia grumbled weakly. She sank into the deluxe mattress, staring hopelessly at the ceiling. Nia wiped away a stray tear, hands quivering. “My powers are more of a curse then a blessing. Until this nightmare comes true, I’m going to be stuck in this cycle of pain and death until it passes.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry you have to go through this. What good are your dreams if we can’t prevent them?” Lena commented sourly. “It isn’t fair for you to be stuck with shitty dream predicting powers if they can’t even help us stop this?”

“I didn’t _ask_ for these powers, trust me. My sister wanted them, I didn’t want this burden,” Nia closed her eyes. “It isn’t that simple. The dreams act as a super vague warning, relying on instinct and wit to connect the dots. We can use my dreams to anticipate potential outcomes and try to change them. There’s the _potential_ for someone to get shot, but with my powers we can try and either prevent it or help them before…” Nia didn’t need to finish.

“Fantastic, but we haven’t exactly narrowed much down yet have we?” Lena blinked slowly; eyelids heavy with sleep. 

“There’s a method we can try…” Nia shook her head, “I have to be in the right head space. I can’t handle trying to walk through it right now.”

“Maybe talk it through with Kara? She’s helped you through this before, right?” She suggested reluctantly, a part of her hoping Nia would decline.

Nia shook her head, “No. Can we keep this between us? I don’t want to worry Kara until we get more of a lead. She already has so much going on with Lex and Leviathan, I don’t want to add another issue on her plate. She’ll get super worried and push me to relive the vision to gather more information.”

“Have you considered that maybe your premonitions have something to do with our current villains? Murder is part of Lex’s nature and Leviathan has its own graveyard full of bodies.” There wasn’t an ounce of doubt within Lena that Lex was somehow involved.

She shrugged, barely mustering a response. “I’m sure it does, but I can’t think straight right now. My body is fried, and I have a killer headache. I’m so exhausted I could sleep for a week; can we talk more in the morning?”

“Of course,” Lena murmured gently. “Can I get you anything? Is there anything you can take that will let you rest peacefully?”

She chuckled darkly, “Trust me, there is no substance on this planet that lets me get a dreamless night. I’ve tried. Could you turn down the AC a bit though? It helps me cool off and get comfortable.”

“You relax and sleep in as late as you’d like. I’ll probably be gone when you wake, but you’re welcome to whatever food I have,” Lena offered. She fought back a yawn, wondering if her statement would even be true. Lena was tempted to sleep in for once, but someone had to run Luthor Corp. She had been spending most of her time trying to find a solution for Brainy.

“Thanks,” Nia’s voice was muffled as she buried herself within the thick sheets.

Lena left Nia to sleep, turning down the air condition a couple notches. She was too tired to give Kara’s note another moment of thought, dragging herself to her own room.

She lazily stripped off the day’s clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor and slid into the chilled sleek sheets. The last thought that crossed Lena’s tired mind was how nice it would be to curl up next to someone after her stressful day.


	3. Kryptonite... bullets?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena tries to have a normal day at Catco until a group of masked people raid the floor. Kara wastes no time switching the Supergirl suit to deal them until the unexpected happens; Kara gets shot. While the wound isn't fatal, Alex orders Kara to take it easy for a night. To ensure Kara doesn't put herself in more danger, the super friends agree on a movie night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i... will... finish this before the show ends

Lena stared at the computer screen; hundreds of unopened emails sat in her inbox. She had been searching listlessly through Luthor Corp’s finances over the past 6 months, trying to find anything that could even slightly connect Lex with Leviathan. Absolutely _nothing_. She had to admit, the last time she put together Lex’s schemes Kara was very helpful.

A yawn escaped from her lips; head slipping from where it rested against her palm. Minutes slipped into hours as emails piled up alongside her increasing frustration. Her thoughts kept circling back to Nia’s dream from this morning.

The sun dipped behind the skyscrapers, casting a captivating purple cascading over National City. Days felt increasingly endless, as if they too didn’t want to turn into a new day. Even past the typically 5pm dismissal time, most of Catco’s staff was busy working hard on their respective articles.

The headache that had haunted her since noon urged Lena to shove the keyboard away. She sank back against the chair, any remnants of motivation gone. After dealing with the Luthor’s bullshit for so many years, her patience was wearing thin.

The temptation to walk away and hop a plane to Greece and leave the eternal stress behind was more than temping. Lena was one bad day from buying a one-way ticket to Ireland. Leave National City and the world to defend for themselves, after all, there were dozens of superheroes that could be more of a help to Kara.

What happened to the black caped woman in a red wig? Surely that fast guy in the red spandex could help in the next crisis. Kara had her league of heroes; Lena was but a leaf in the wind compared to them.

No matter how frustrated and miserable Lena was, she could never leave Kara behind.

She envied those that had the luxury of living a straightforward life. Those that go to work from 9-5, date normal people, visit loving families on holidays and have an average life. Lena craved a mundane life instead of the one filled with death and chaos the was born into. They can go home at the end of the day and not have to check every shadow for someone trying to kill them.

Most importantly, they don’t fall hopelessly in love with their best friend that lied for _years_. No, they fall for the first mediocre partner that meet their low standards and settle down. 

No, just the one person in National City that actively tried to be her friend and the only one to defend her until it wasn’t convenient anymore. Lena would never have the grandeur experience of mediocrity.

Instead, she was stuck in an interminable cycle of pain, disappointment and betrayal.

And heartbreak. Lena could see Kara’s desk from her office, typing faster than humanly possible. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, scrolling so rapidly Lena was sure the computer was going to explode.

Lena closed her eyes, enjoying a brief break from the harsh white screen light for the savory retreat behind her eyelids. Her eyes burning with the strain, she blinked rapidly to adjust them.

A soft knock on the glass door suggested someone was waiting for Lena’s attention. She sighed, searching her mental calendar to see if she had a meeting.

Lena was partially expecting Lex to show up with some vague threat, but instead she saw Kara. She resisted making any physical reaction and maintained an uninterested appearance.

Kara smiled feebly. She leaned against the door frame; arms tucked into her elbows.

“Hey.” Kara mumbled awkwardly. “How is Nia holding up?”

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Lena replied. “She’s handling it the best she can.” She couldn’t sit still, arching her rigged back from leaning over the keyboard all morning. Lena rolled her shoulders, arching her back in an extended stretch.

“And you?” Kara bit at are lip as if she wanted to say more. “I know… Brainy was a friend to you.”

“I’m alright, okay?” Lena snapped; a shock of pain shot down her spine. She had pain like this before, stemming from poor posture and lack of back support. Nothing that a simple massage couldn’t fix.   


“Sorry for being worried about you,” Kara huffed. Her cheeks flushed rosy pink with embarrassment. Resolution crossed her face and Kara shook her head. “No, you know what? I’m not sorry! Have you forgotten that Lilian isn’t in jail anymore? Lex is no longer a wanted criminal, and we have no idea what his plans are? Rao knows what Leviathan is doing now! You can’t disappear without telling anyone! You could have been kidnapped or-“ Kara forcefully exhaled, arms crossed in a childish manor. “Why are you so hard to protect?”

“I’m not afraid of Lex or Lilian. I’ve shot Lex once, I’ll do it again,” Lena stiffened as the gun shot ringed in her ear. “There have to still be _boundaries_ , Kara. You can’t just float by my apartment whenever you want, I need some space from all of this,” she gestured to the wall of television screens displaying footage from Supergirl fighting some bad guys from this morning. “I won’t go back to how things were. I don’t need to be checked on like a troublesome child.”

Kara raised her voice in frustration, “I never expected that we would! I’m not _checking_ on you, I’m _worried_. Have you thought about the consequences you’re going to face for defying Lex again? You _know_ ; there are dangers that come with that knowledge.”

Lena took her time to calculate a response. She was more than aware of the risks, but her wanting distance from Kara was a result of the flurry of emotions stirring in her heart. But she couldn’t say that. 

Instead, Lena elected to go with an obvious answer. “I’ve lived through a dozen attempted assassinations; I can handle myself. Not that you trust me to do so- though I can’t say why. You’ll never know how utterly alone I felt when Lex revealed your secret. I didn’t have a single honest person in my life, all stemming from _your_ lie.” Her voice abruptly switched to a harsh, hostile whisper, “I killed Lex for you. My _brother_. By some act of Satan, he’s still here, but I looked him in the eye and pulled the trigger. Do you know what’s that like? Watching the life drain out of a persons’ eyes, even one more monster then man.”

“Why do you think I’m so scared? He could hurt you, Lena. He could use you to get to me,” Kara’s voice took a hard 180 from almost yelling to a whisper. “Lex only keeps people around if they’re useful and since you broke off your alliance, the only use you have is to hurt me.”

A wave of realization slammed over Lena as started to understand. Her rocky friendship with Kara _did_ put her at risk but not necessarily in the way she assumed. Lex would undoubtably exploit their tremulous relationship, that she was sure of.

Lena sighed, her resolution dissolving. “I do understand, but I’m not going to live my life in fear, nor do I appreciate being called 12 times an hour.” 

To her surprise, Kara nodded solemnly in agreement. “You have to meet me half-way if we’re going regain even the tiniest bit of trust. Just keep me in the loop, okay?”

Her attention snapped away as Kara’s head swiveled and as her eyes went wide like a dear in headlights.

She _knew_ that look – that noble glimmer in those passionate crystal blue eyes that hinted she was about to go all _super_. Their quarrel forgotten;

Lena moved from behind her desk to stand next to Kara, refusing to cower behind her desk.

Lena followed her gaze only to see nothing outside the window but dusk settling in. Until, that was, eight people dressed in sleek stealth suits busted through the glass windows. Shards of glass sprayed everywhere, raining down on the remaining employees.

“Get down!” Kara hissed over her shoulder as she whipped off her glasses while everyone was distracted. Lena couldn’t help but admire how the super suit materialized instantly, the fabric fitting perfectly around her every curve. She made a mental note to ask Brainy how he made such an impeccable suit, when he woke up that is. Her thoughts about nano technology were disturbed when gunshots were fired.

Lena and Nia met eyes for a passing second, their shared knowledge of her dream rooting an understanding between them. Nia scrambled to her feet, ushering the panicked people down the flight of stairs as the intruders opened fire. “Don’t stop until you reach the lobby!” She called after them, securing the door behind the last person.

In a few quick motions, Supergirl managed to disarm two of the dangerous people, leaving them rolling on the ground in pain. With the staff safe in the stairwell, Nia unleashed a shimmering blue whip and used it to disarm one of the women.

Lena wasn’t going to sit back and be a useless damsel in distress. With practiced precision, Lena lifted the cuff of her pant leg to grab a petite palm sized handgun. She aimed at the closest person, noting their padded armor and aimed directly in the center of their chest.

Two shots went off at once. The bullet originating from Lena’s gun sank into the bullet proof vest, the sheer force causing them to stagger back and stumbled over a chair, hitting the ground with a solid _thump!_

“ _Fuck_!” A pained groan came from the victim of the second bullet. Lena expected for Nia to have been hit judging by the sound of the scream. She couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Kara faltered, clenching her right shoulder in a feeble attempt at stopping blood from gushing out of a projectile wound. Faint green veins scored across her entire body, giving away the secret to this bullet’s success.

Refusing to give up, Kara weakly darted around the room as quick as she could. Using every ounce of strength, she conjured a powerful blast of air out of her lungs, sending those remaining directly into the wall, unconscious.

Lena rushed to her side as Kara became unsteady on her feet. Nia was frozen in place, watching as her mentor started to fall. She snapped herself out of the trance and scrambled for her phone, quickly dialing Alex to explain the situation.

Quickly, Nia effortlessly tossed the intruders into the supply closet and barricaded the door with a hefty table.

She helped Kara to the floor, leaning her against the wall so she could get a better look at the wound. Kara groaned; eyes glazed over with pain. “Fucking kryptonite bullets,” she inhaled sharply as Lena tried to get a better look.

“I can’t get a good look with the suit in the way–“ Lena shined her phone light at the wound, her stomach dropped as if she was a roller-coaster that dropped 200 feet. The bullet had gone straight through her shoulder, a blessing as there was no telling the damage it could have done. With Kara’s sensitivity to kryptonite, it would have been a disaster if it had been stuck something vital.

Wincing, Kara took the color of her suit and jaggedly ripped the nano fabric loose. Delicately, is if touching a newborn fawn, Lena slid the surprisingly soft suit down Kara’s flexing bicep. Lena’s gaze flickered to the blood pulling on her chest. Kara’s breathing was worrisome, shallow as she gasped through the pain.

Despite the bullet evidently not being lodged within Kara, the viridescent coloring remained. Lena glanced around the destroyed office as a last-ditch effort to find it.

 _‘It can’t be…’_ Lena could barely make out a dozen or so indentions in the walls, giving off a pale emerald light as if tiny Christmas lights were twinkling all across the office space. Shoving the issue of kryptonite bullets to the back of her thoughts, Lena had to stop the bleeding.

She grabbed a forgotten cardigan, covering the raw contusion and pressed down stiffly to halt the bleeding.

“Easy!” Kara groaned between drown-out breathes. 

“Alex is on her way,” Nia crawled onto the floor and curled up next to Kara. “How are you feeling, champ?”

“You know, I’ve been better,” Kara still had a light-hearted tone despite the circumstances.

Lena felt sick to her stomach as the blood continued to seep through, staining her fingers a blotchy red.

Kara blinked slowly, fighting against the urge to doze off. Lena wasn’t quite sure how critical the wound was, but she didn’t like the fatigue Kara was displaying. She had to keep Kara talking, try to distract her from the pain.

“These bullets are custom with the material and compact design. Manufacturing will be a difficult process making the number very low. Which means we should be able to find and link them to whomever is behind the attack,” Lena attempted at prompting a conversation. Clearly chit-chat was not in her repertoire.

“Mmhmm,” Kara mumbled, slouching against Lena.

Lena’s eyes drifted to Nia; a sneaking grin tugged at her lips. She rolled her eyes, drawing her attention back to Kara. She was staring at Lena, lips ajar as if she was going to speak.

“I just got you back and you’re going to let a silly kryptonite bullet take you down? You’re stuck with me for a few more years at least,” Lena cringed inwardly at her failed attempt at humor. Kara chuckled weakly a few times before sharply sucking in air through her teeth.

“Oh, I’m _sorry_ if the one element that can hurt me was crafted into a deadly weapon,” Kara settled back down against Lena as a shudder wracked her body. “Next time I’ll politely ask them to not shoot me.”

“You can do that?” Nia asked, only partially kidding. “I love being Dreamer but being shot ya know, being shot at gets old very quickly.”

“How often do you get shot at?” Lena glanced at Nia.

“Including this incident? About 93% of the time,” she replied nonchalantly. Kara’s head bobbed in agreement.

“Why don’t we move you somewhere more comfortable? At least until Alex gets here?” Nia nervously checked her phone for updates on Alex’s location.

“No.” Lena maintained pressure against the wound as the blood slowed to a halt. “It’s best if she stays still. The bleeding has stopped but we can’t risk making it any worse.”

“If I find out who engineered these stupid freaking bullets, they’re gonna regret it,” Kara groaned. Her knuckles were white as her hands were balled up, trying to find some way to deal with the immense pain.

With one hand applying pressure, Lena rested her free hand on top of Kara’s. She relaxed enough to take her hand, squeezing carefully as to not break every bone as Kara groaned. 

“We can’t have it getting out that some jackass made literal kryptonite bullets, the sheer panic it could cause…” Lena said thoughtfully.

Nia nodded, “And the market value for something that could kill Kryptonians? This was our _first_ run in with people with these weapons and look what happened!”

“They made one mistake,” Lena cast her gaze across the destroyed office at the bullets lodged into the walls. “I can pick these apart and figure out what the composition of kryptonite it’s composed of to try and counter it.”

“I miss the days where there wasn’t kryptonite everywhere,” Kara seethed through her teeth. “Thank you, Lex.”

Lena knew she had to figure out a way to work with Brainy’s nano suit with the Kryptonite-proof suit or else Kara was as good as dead. With the public having unlimited access to kryptonite, these attacks would only increase. 

“On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?” Lena winced as blood continued to seep through her fingers as she gravely tried to put a halt to one side of the gaping hole.

“I don’t fucking know, 11?” A dreadful moan escaped her as she sagged against Lena, eyelids fluttering. Her limbs locked into place as Lena’s body completely stopped functioning. She wasn’t a teenager with a pathetic crush, there’s no logical reason why she shuts down when the person she likes touches her, particularly in this situation. Reality sets in once again as the seriousness of the situation forces Lena to take another look at the bloody hole to find an alternative approach.

Lena fought off the bile rising in her throat as the metallic stench was setting off her already sensitive stomach.

Nia looked away as if the sight was also affecting her Lena pressing as hard as she dared. “So Kryptonians _do_ bleed. Good to know,” Nia joked darkly with a begrudging grin.

Much to Lena’s relief, the elevator doors slid open and Alex burst through, running over to Kara’s side with a medical bag hanging over her shoulder. Lena knew she would be better equipped for handling Kara’s specific body limitations.

Alex raised a curious eyebrow as her eyes locked with Lena’s, but she said nothing as she kneeled in front of Kara. Each and every nerve was set ablaze with the tension as Alex examined her injured sister.

“I would ask what happened but, well,” Alex scanned the wrecked office. She took out a pocket light, Lena assumed it was a compact sunlamp to encourage healing.

She was right. A warm orange heat emitted from the lamp as Alex used to kick start the healing process.

“It went straight through, but I worry that some of the kryptonian is stuck,” Lena explained, moving out of the way so Alex could tend to her sister. She went to pull her hand away, but Kara held on.

Pain raged Kara’s stormy blue eyes as Alex started dabbing the gaping hole with disinfectant. After the lesion was cleaned (and Kara looking ghastly) she took a tiny pair of tweezers and started to poke around for any shrapnel. The pale amber light gave Kara’s skin a faint, angelic glow that stole Lena’s ability to breath.

Her skin pricked as she felt Nia’s stare goring into her skin. Lena refused to give her the satisfaction and focused on what Alex was doing. Her head was completely empty and she couldn’t seem to conjure up a coherent thought.

“I can’t see any residue and you’re starting to heal. I’m mainly worried about the muscle healing correctly. Take the night off and you should be fine tomorrow,” Alex said as she wiped away the blood staining Kara’s skin.

“But-“ Kara complained but a stern look from Alex quickly shut her up.

“How about we do a game night? It’s been awhile and what better way than to distract you with monopoly?” Nia chimed in. She was staring right at Lena, her true intention plain as day.

“Perfect! That way I can make sure you stay out of trouble,” Alex agreed before Kara could respond. “I’ll bring the pizza and beer.”

“What if I wanted a quiet night in?” Kara mumbled defensively. “Preferably by myself?”

“Because it’ll start as a quiet night in and the first siren that goes off, you’ll be on the news stopping a robbery.” Alex nodded to Lena, “You’re in, right?”

“No one ever listens to me,” Kara pouted like a toddler being denied ice cream. She blinked up at Lena, pleading for her to say no.

Lena could see how miserable Kara was, maybe she did really want a simple night in. Even injured, there was no doubt that Kara jump right into battle without a second thought. Lena herself wasn’t in the mood for a game night, frankly Lena wanted to shut herself up in her apartment to drink away her feelings.

Alone.

But she was far more afraid of the eldest Danvers though, Kara may have the powers, but Alex had years of special agent training.

“Look, I’ve got to figure out a way to keep this out of the news and somehow get this cleaned up,” Lena said carefully. Alex narrowed her eyes as a smile emerged from Kara. “So how about a movie night? We put on a few films that way we can babysit Kara. I’m not really in a mood for games right now.”

“I don’t need babysitting!” Kara complained but no one paid any mind.

After dabbing some ointment on Kara’s shoulder, Alex pulled out two pieces of soft bandages, carefully taping down to cover the bullet wound until it healed. The color started to return to her face as Kara’s kryptonian body begun to fix itself.

“That’s a compromise I can live with, as long as we can watch Titanic,” Nia agreed.

Alex seemed satisfied with her suggestion, Kara not so much.

“If I’m going to be babysat than _I_ choose the movie!” Kara grumbled, wincing as she got to her feet. “I want to watch something fun, not depressing.”

“Look, I don’t care what movie you decide on. We can marathon Star Wars if it keeps you home for the night,” Alex propped her arm around Kara’s waist and help her get steady on her feet.

“Fine,” Kara cleared her throat. “If everyone wants to come over at 7. Someone better bring me pot stickers,” she added seriously.

Alex agreed with a nod. “I’ve got a change of civilian clothing for Kara, can’t have her limping to the car in her Supergirl cape.”

“Great, so that means I’ve got to deal with this giant mess _and_ the police? Wonderful,” Lena glanced down at now ruined suit that was permanently stained with blood.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you cover it up. We can start pulling bullets from the walls while we wait for the cops.” Nia said thoughtfully. She gave Kara a gentle hug, “I hope you start feeling better! At least you have tonight to look forward too!”

“The Luthor name is influential on this earth, maybe take advantage of it,” Alex said over her shoulder as she escorted Kara to the elevator. “They’ll have no reason to suspect they were trying to kill Supergirl, maybe just trying to delete the server or something. Good luck.”

“Great, thanks,” she mumbled sarcastically. Lena watched as Kara left, her damaged shoulder hanging limply.

“A movie night sounds romantic! Maybe there will be some crisis and we’ll have to leave you with Kara.” Nia beamed with excitement. She fiddled with a bullet lodged into a desk. “There are dozens of bullets riddled around the office, how are you going to take care of this?”

Lena thought for a second and then it hit her like a bus. “I’m a Luthor, I play the assassination card. That’ll be the focus of the reports and I’ll have to keep Catco from being an active crime scene. I don’t trust the police; I’ll gather samples myself. I’ll claim I need to keep the floor untouched for insurance reasons.”

Nia nodded along in thought, “That’ll probably work. Someone has to suspect Supergirl to be a Catco employee, right? What other reason for them to attack so openly?”

“Lex _does_ know who she is. Or there’s another player in the game that was aiming for me, suspecting Supergirl would come to my defense.” Lena shook her head, exasperated. 

“Maybe we should start covering up the glowing bullets before the police raid the floor,” Nia suggested as she put a damaged keyboard over a hole illuminating green. “You _do_ want to keep this a secret right?”  
  


******** ******** ******** ******** ********

Hours later, Lena stood outside Kara’s apartment door. Borderline nauseous, she stared at the door with a deep seeded feeling of dread preventing her from proceeding.

Lena had spent the rest of the day making calls and tediously picking up every bullet she could find. Nia was a big help searching every inch of the Catco office space as Lena distracted the cops. She was surprised at how easy it was dealing with the police, they didn’t seem particularly interested in why she didn’t allow them to search the office. The insurance excuse worked flawlessly.

Nia parted ways afterward so she can clean up for Kara’s movie night, encouraging Lena to do the same. After copying the feeds onto a flash drive and wiping the past few hours from the server, Lena headed home for a quick shower and to change in comfortable clothing- a National City University sweatshirt she stole from Kara and jeans. 

It only took one knock for the door to open, as if Kara knew she was lingering in the hallway. Her hair was down, loose dirty blond hair still damp from a shower. She wore a slimming long-sleeved cyan shirt, comfortable but tight enough where Lena could see her biceps flexing as she held open the door.

“Hey.” Kara tucked a wild strand behind her ear.

Lena’s response was delayed as she realized that Kara wasn’t sporting her glasses, a core piece of the ‘Kara Danvers’ identity. Maybe she was starting to be comfortable with being her true self around Lena now. Who was this Kara Zor-el and how different was she from the Kara she knew and loved? Lena’s stomach flipped over and she took a deep breath to try and sooth herself, hoping the aching was from nerves.

“How- how are you feeling?” Lena finally spoke, entering Kara’s apartment. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been here for something _fun_. 

“It still hurts if I move it too much, but it has started to close up already,” Kara’s hand hovered over her injured shoulder. She noticed the sweatshirt Lena sported. Kara smiled fondly, “I wondered where that went.”

“Sorry, I meant to give it back, but I just never got around to it,” Lena fiddled anxiously with the sleeve. She never got around to it because the sweatshirt was her go-to after a bad day comfort clothes. Something that belonged to Kara before everything went to shit. Memory from a simpler time.

“Keep it. It looks good on you,” Kara complimented with conviction. She motioned to the three boxes of pizza and a single plate stacked with pot stickers. Two packs of beer sat on the island, already pried open as both Kelly and Alex already had a bottle in hand.

Nia was already sprawled across the couch, content with the pizza as the start screen for _A New Hope_ waited to play. She didn’t even look at Lena, her spot clearly strategic. How a woman so small managed to hog the entire couch was beyond her, yet she made sure there wasn’t room for anyone else.

The coffee table was pushed back, pillows and blankets cushioned the floor for whomever was stuck on the ground. Lena deeply regretted suggesting a movie night, this was a recipe for disaster.

“Hey, Lena! It’s been awhile,” Kelly pulled Lena into a hug. “Seeing you at work is one thing, but I haven’t seen you with the whole group in ages!”

Alex and Kara exchanged a look, taking a moment to themselves in the kitchen. Somewhere deep down, duck taped in a crushed box was a shred of envy of the admirable bond the Danvers sisters shared.

“I am drowning in Luthor Corp business, it’s been hard to find some to hang out with friends.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, though only recently Lena reconnected with her friend group. Not that she blamed Kelly with the identity crisis, she wasn’t even sure if she was aware of Kara’s secret.

“We need to get lunch together someday, talk a bit of Obsidian and other stuff.” Kelly sank down into the remaining couch. “Andrea is a piece of work, that’s for sure! I’ll give her credit; she is desperate to redeem herself.”

“I’m glad I’ve got someone I can trust to keep her in check. Andrea is ambitious, she tends to push past ethics for profit, but you care more about the therapeutic potential over money.” Lena agreed despite her attention diverted to glaring daggers at Nia.

“Do you want anything Lena?” Alex called as she heard what sounded like a light smack as if someone swatted a fly.

“Wine, if you have any,” Lena responded. The enthusiastic response was promoted a side-eyed glance from Kara.

“Trust me, Kara’s apartment is like my own private wine cellar.” Alex opened the cupboard to reveal a huge stash of alcohol of all kinds, some even with alien labels. “I’ve cultivated an interesting collection, alien alcohol is not for the faint of heart.”

“Which we need do need to have a conversation about!” Kelly said pointedly, her tone teasing. Alex was probably the sole person on earth that could hold her liquor as well as Lena. 

Alex came over with a wine class in one hand, balancing a fresh bottle of red wine in the other. “There’s more in the cabinet above the oven,” Alex winked. She squeezed next to Kelly, throwing an arm around her and pulled her girlfriend in close. 

“Thanks.” Lena poured half a cup to start, knowing that it wouldn’t last long with how her anxiety settled in like a cloud about to burst. Especially not with the goading looks Nia was casting at Lena as Kara settled down next to her with a stacked plate of pot stickers.

“Do you want any?” Kara offered, tipping the plate to Lena. The offer caught Alex’s attention as she stopped mid-sip.

Lena was acutely aware that Kara _never_ shared her pot stickers, not even with Alex. She didn’t even like pot stickers, but she couldn’t turn down Kara. Not with Alex and Nia watching so closely. Lena knew it wouldn’t agree with her, especially with how upset her stomach was already.

“Oh- uhm… Sure.” Lena took a single piece, taking a small hesitant bite.

Satisfied, Kara wasted no time in digging into her stack of pot stickers without offering to anyone else. Nia obnoxiously jabbed at Lena’s shoulder in a childish manner. She was going to be hearing about this again, even if it was a simple offer.

“I still don’t see why we can’t watch Titanic; I love Star Wars as the next girl, but I was in the mood for romance and tragedy,” Nia complained with her mouth full of pizza.

“Because Kara isn’t feeling well so she gets to pick what we watch,” Alex said as she hit play on the remote. Alex’s careful wording confirmed what Lena suspected; Kelly didn’t know. “Next time you get sick, we’ll all invade your apartment and watch Titanic with you.”

Satisfied, Nia starting gnawing on the crust.

By the time Lena eventually finished off her single pot sticker Kara had devoured half the plate. The iconic scroll started playing with the score simmering in the background as silence settled in around the apartment. The only occasional disturbance was when people took sips.

Within the first forty-five minutes of the movie, Lena was on her fourth glass of wine. She was trying to drown the bile taste left by the pot sticker but couldn’t seem to get the taste off her tongue. Considering that the only thing she had eaten today was a few bites of a kale salad, the tipsiness was beginning to settle in.

Lena gave up paying attention to the film, instead zoning in on Kara’s hand placement. For a movie that she supposedly loved, Kara was fidgeting a lot. She couldn’t seem to get comfortable, constantly adjusting the pillows. Eventually she sighed heavily in defeat, draping a blanket around her shoulders and stared blankly at the television. 

Gentle snoring rumbled from behind the couch as Nia drifted off to sleep to no one’s surprise. _Good_.

Lena’s thoughts came and went like an ocean lapping at a beach as she couldn’t hold on to any passing thought.

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to come,” Kara murmured into Lena’s ear. The hair on the back of Lena’s neck stood on end as she turned to see that Kara’s face only inches away.

“And miss out on Space Wars?” Her fucking tone slipped, sounding _a lot_ flirtier than she intended- which was not at all. To her relief, Alex and Kelly were focused on each.

Kara smiled, stifling a giggle. “I am trying to be somewhat serious- I know you’ve got a lot going on. I just,” she sighed and bowed her head. “I really do appreciate that you’re giving me another chance.”

“Hey,” Lena really wished she hadn’t touched the wine but yet Lena found herself wishing she had finished off the entire bottle. She concentrated on her next words to ensure nothing slipped. “It does take two to tango.” That was not at all what she meant to say, not in the very least.

A lovely smiled bloomed as Kara chuckled under her breath, “That’s certainly _one_ way to put it.”

“You know, Kara… You know what?” Lena mumbled

She chuckled softly, trying not to wake up Nia. “What?”

Lena managed to grab the reigns for a fleeting moment to derail where drunk Lena was heading, “You’ree- are my fav… my favorite pers-on.” Not ideal but a hell of a lot better than a drunken confession of love.

“You’re my favorite person too,” Kara smiled fondly. A speck of light twinkled behind starling blue eyes that she had been in love with for years. For only a second, their eyes locked and the world okay, like it wasn’t on fire. Like there weren’t people trying to kill Kara, that Lex and Leviathan weren’t a threat. She wanted it to last forever, even if it was a moment shared between two friends, or whatever they were.

And then, the moment was gone as Kara’s attention switched to the screen as some old man gave some kid named Luke a lightsaber. Her knowledge on Star Wars was limited to the occasional reference from Kara or Brainy.

She found consolation within the wine, hoping to dull the pangs of misery jittering around in her chest like a pocket of loose change. Her queasiness temporarily settled, though may it be the smog of numbness taking affect.

Watching the cool lights reflect off Kara’s skin as she watched intently. The film became nothing but background noise as Lena became enchanted with the way her face gave subtle hints to how she reacted. The way her nose flared when golden droid spoke, the slight crinkle between her eyebrows when Luke declined the old man (the name still escapes her) for training. When her gaze fell from the screen as Luke discovered that the only family he had was dead, a shadowed sorrow fell upon her face. Lena’s heart cried out for her, wanting to comfort Kara but all she could do was yearn.

Kara glanced out of the corner of her eye, finally noticing Lena’s unblinking stare. Lena immediately looked away, alarm flaring in her chest.

“What?” Kara murmured, turning her back to the film.

She automatically reached for the wine glass, swirling the red liquid around before taking a gulp. Now _that_ was a mistake Lena would undoubtably regret later.

“N-nothingg.” Lena struggled to find words, like trying to grasp leaves in the middle of a hurricane.

“Are you even watching it?” Kara sounded worried. “If you don’t like Star Wars we can watch something else.”

“I do- I don’t care, really. You’re the one that got shot,” she tried to keep her tone hushed though it may have been louder than Lena intended. A headache started to creep over, fogginess started to slow her thoughts. “I just, I wawnt you tobe happy.”

Nia stirred, drawing the blanket over her head and otherwise remained asleep.

Kara’s eyes glistened with amusement at Lena’s deteriorating state. “I _am_ happy, your company, everyone’s company-” she quickly added, “is all I need. I’d be happy just listening to a police radio if it means spending time with the people that I- that I care about.” 

“Ohh, to be happy,” Lena hummed, losing the ability to process her thoughts, speaking freely as the headache sharpened. “I wondeer wha-at itss like to be loved.”

Kara’s smiled turned sympathetic, shifting closer to give Lena a half-hug. “I know it’s the wine talking, but… In case you forgot after the past few months, I do love you. So does Alex, Brainy and I’m sure Nia will once you two get to know each other. I know I damaged your trust and you lashed out because you were hurting, but…” Kara trailed off, eyebrows knitting up with worry. “Are you feeling okay? You look pale.”

No, in fact Lena was not feeling great at all. Her body felt cold, and not a good kind of slight fall weather chill but an uncomfortable frigid where she wanted to curl up under a dozen wool blankets. Her stomach churned, the pathetic excuse for a lunch mixing with an absurd amount of wine finally decided to come up.

The last thing Lena remembered was scrambling to her feet and making a desperate dash to the bathroom as she tried to fight the temptation to throw up.

**Author's Note:**

> Unlike every single other fic I've written, this one is ACTUALLY planned out! I have chapters planned out and a desire to finish this. 
> 
> >>follow me on Twitter @Phoenixfalling2 for updates<<


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